Irrelevant
by koolio19
Summary: a scene that should have been at the end of Unimatrix Zero part 2. Chakotay visits Kathryn in sickbay after her chat with seven. j/c


**I don't own anything from Star Trek Voyager.**

**Rating:** k+

**Summary:** This is a scene that should have been at the end of Unimatrix Zero part 2. Chakotay visits Kathryn in sickbay after her chat with seven.

Please read any enjoy. This just popped into my head the other day after I watched the episode, so here you are. And if you are reading my CSI story, Coincidence, I'm still working on it don't worry I've just hit a little snag, so I have to figure out where it's going before I continue. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer, enjoy! =)

**Irrelevant**

The sickbay doors swished closed as seven walked out leaving Kathryn alone with her coffee and reports, neither of which the doctor was happy about. But after many threats of going up to the bridge to get them herself, he had allowed them as distractions to keep her still and resting as long as possible.

She glanced to her right and watched as Be'lanna slept peacefully, although it was sedative induced, at least she wasn't in pain. Kathryn then looked to Tuvok, whom the doctor was currently leaned over, intently repairing the damage to his neural pathways. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to sigh but the pain in her spin spiked sharply at the movement and she ended up gasping quietly instead.

"Are you sure you don't want a sedative, Captain?" the doctor asked, looking up at her as he heard her small voice of pain. Of course he had heard that she sighed, though mentally this time.

"I'm alright, Doctor," she said hoping he'd drop the subject.

"Captain," he warned, "I allowed you those reports so you would stay here and rest, but if they are going to keep you wake all night I'm going to take them away. You need to sleep."

"I just have one left then I'm yours to sedate, alright?" she said in a commanding tone that didn't leave room for him to argue, but if had he tried he would have found the tiny corner of argue she had left open for him. No matter how much they argued neither would admit that they enjoyed the back and forth banter and the challenge of the last word.

"Fine," he said not wanting to waste the time she could be spending reading the report which meant sooner rather than later she could be under sedation and finally resting to his satisfaction, "but only one."

"Aye, sir," she said with a smirk.

Just as the doctor had noticed that she had set the report on the bed side table, commander Chakotay walked through the sickbay doors and towards the Captain's bed.

"No, Commander, if you have another report for her you have to leave," he said sternly, his patience wearing thin.

Chakotay's hands shot up into the air in as a sign of surrender, "don't shoot," he said, "I'm report free. See," he wiggled his fingers, "I'm just here to see how she is."

"Fine," the EMH grumbled, "five minutes." He had finished with Tuvok so he retired to his office to give them some privacy. He knew that a big reason that the Captain hated sickbay stays was she knew she was always being watched too closely for her liking.

"So how's my ship doing in your capable hands, Commander?" she asked playfully.

"Repairs are going well and should be completed by tomorrow," he replied with a smile. He was glad she was feeling more like her old self. He had been so afraid when they left her, Be'lanna, and Tuvok on that cube, and then when they were beamed back aboard, he had rushed to sickbay to see them. He almost hadn't recognized with the Borg implants, green tinted skin, and no hair. But what had scared him the most the fear that she was connected to the hive mind and that the queen would be able to kill her without anyone even realizing. That had haunted him the last two nights making sleep impossible, but seeing her today, awake and without any mechanical implants on her exposed body was a beautiful thing. Her face was still a bit pale but it wasn't sickly green and the doctor had super-stimulated the growth of her hair follicles so she looked like his Captain, his Kathryn, once again.

"Good," she nodded and glanced up at his face. She seemed as if she wanted to say something but after a few moments still hadn't opened her mouth.

He looked at her questioningly, then smirked a bit, "It's not often that the great Captain Janeway is left struggling with words," he said as he leaned against the bulk head beside her biobed.

"It isn't the words I'm having trouble with, it's the courage to say them," she said softly as she looked at her hands which griped the metal coffee cup on her lap.

Chakotay's forehead wrinkled in confusion, "Not having courage is even more unlikely than not having words," he said, the joking tone replaced with concern as he laid a warm hand on her wrist lightly, still unsure of where she was in pain and where she wasn't.

"Chakoty," she said as she carefully turned away from him and set the cup down next to the reports on the bed-side table, then turned to look at him, "I've been thinking about what Seven said earlier about how she had believed her relationship with Axem to be irrelevant. It took her until it was too late to realize it wasn't and now she'll probably never see him again."

He watched her closely as she struggled silently to say what was on her mind, "I – I've realized that I can't force my feelings for you to be irrelevant anymore." She looked back down to her lap unsure of how to continue, her mouth opening only to close again without a sound coming from it.

He gently lifted the hand that still rested on her wrist up to her chin and made her blue eyes meet his brown ones. "What are you trying to say, Kathryn?" he asked softly.

The use of her name seemed to give her the small push of courage to continue, though not in the strong captain's voice she normally used, but in a soft, vulnerable tone, "I wanted to tell you- I mean I'd understand if you feel differently now—"

"Kathryn, just say it," he smirked at her very uncaptain-like rambling.

"I love you, Chakotay. I don't want to pretend that you're nothing more than my first officer, anymore," she said quickly, her eyes gleaming with a vulnerability he had never seen in her before, not even on new earth.

His smile engulfed his face as he looked down at her, "I don't think my feelings for you will ever change, you have my heart forever." As she smiled, her vulnerability turned to joy and he delicately took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the forehead, still unsure of where he could touch her.

"I'm sorry I took so long to finally say it, but I was so set on the prime directive and getting home and—"

"Shhh," he said, "It's alright; everything's going to be alright." She smiled up at him appreciatively as she leaned forward to kiss him properly, but as she tried to pull herself off the pillows that were supporting her back she let out a small cry of pain and quickly laid back against them.

"Are you alright?" Chakotay asked worriedly.

"No, she's not, Commander," the doctor said in an irritated voiuce, as he emerged from his office and walked over to Commander Tuvok while he spoke, "I just removed her spinal clamps and she needs rest, so you need to leave now."

"Doctor—" the Captain began, the pain in her back finally subsiding back into the dull throbbing it had been before.

"No, Kathryn, he's right. I'll see you in the morning." Satisfied, the doctor turned his back to them to look over the medical readouts on the console contained in the surgical bay biobed. This gave Chakotay the chance to lean in and give Kathryn the kiss she had tried to give him before her body reminded her about her earlier surgery.

She smiled against his lips, content even at the thought of the doctor turning around and seeing them; he would find out soon enough anyway and maybe it would save them having to tell the crew themselves. The Doctor had always been up to date on the ship's gossip since Tom had started working shifts in sickbay.

As Chakotay pulled away he said, "Get some rest alright, Captain," in a playfully strict tone, then smiled as he walked away and out the sickbay doors.

After a moment of staring at the doors she looked over to the doctor, "Alright as I promised, I'm now all yours to sedate." She shook her head as the doctor looked up with a satisfied with himself smirk on his face.

"Glad to see you're coming to your senses, Captain. You need a good, long rest," his voice mimicking the smirk on his face.

He walked over, hypospray in hand, and carefully took the big pillows out from behind her, helping her lay comfortably on the biobed before injecting her. Her eyes slid closed easily, and her last conscious thoughts were of the first kiss that she and Chakotay had just shared, and what their new found relationship would become.

Please review, it makes me happy! Also, I might be able to turn this into a longer series, but I won't if you guys don't tell me to and leave me encouraging comments. So tell me what you think! =) Please and thank you!


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